Article carrier



NOV. 26, 1968 WOOD 3,412,894

ART I CLE CARRIER Filed June 29, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR PRENTlCE d. WOOD ATTORNEY NOV. 26, 1968 WOOD 3,412,894

ARTICLE CARRIER Filed June 29, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR PRENTICE J. WOOD ATTORNEY NOV. 26, 1968 J WOOD 3,412,894

ARTICLE CARRIER Filed June 29, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 \NVENTOR PRENTICE J. WOOD Evy/w ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,412,894 ARTICLE CARRIER Prentice J. Wood, Joneshoro, Ga., assignor to The Mead Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 29, 1967, Ser. No. 649,890 6 Claims. (Cl. 220-113) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An article carrier having a medial handle partition, end panels foldably joined to the end edges of said handle partition, and side walls foldably joined along their end edges to the side edges of the end panels provided with a composite bottom panel. The composite bottom panel includes a main bottom panel foldably joined to the bottom edge of one of the side walls and a corner portion of the main bottom panel is cut away. A complementary bottom panel is foldably joined along a side edge thereof to a side edge of the main bottom panel which is adjacent to the cutaway portion so that when the complementary panel is folded into flat face contacting relation with the main panel, a composite structure results. This arrangement affords a sturdy bottom structure and also accommodates end-to-end nesting of adjacent carriers in reversed aligned relation to each other, the cutaway portion of one main bottom panel being disposed to receive a substantial projecting portion of the main bottom panel of a reversed adjacent carrier.

Substantial economy of material is effected by end-toend nesting of the bottom panel of one blank with an aligned reversed adjacent blank of an article carrier, nesting being made possible by constructing the bottom of a main panel having a cutaway corner portion and a complementary panel foldably joined to the main bottom panel along a side edge thereof and adjacent the cutaway portion, the complementary portion being folded over in flat face contacting relation with the main bottom panel. The invention is particularly beneficial if the carrier blanks are cut from sheet material,

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a set-up carrier constructed according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank from which the carrier of FIG. 1 is constructed; FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 represent folding and gluing operations through which the blank of FIG. 2 is manipulated to form the complete collapsed carrier depicted in FIG. 5; and FIG. 6 is a plan view of one blank such as is shown in FIG. 2 shown in solid lines together with a second adjacent nested blank shown partially in dotted lines.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a side wall of the carrier and the numeral 2 designates a glue flap which is foldably joined to the bottom edge of side wall 1 along fold line 3. End panel 4 is foldably joined to one end of side wall 1 along a fold line 5 while end panel 6 is foldably joined to the other end of side wall 1 along fold line 7. Riser panel 8 is foldably joined to end panel 4 along fold line 9 while riser panel 10 is foldably joined to end panel 6 along fold line 11.

The medial handle partition for the carrier includes the riser panels as well as handle panels 12, 13, 14 and 15. Handle panel 12 is foldably joined to riser panel 8 along fold line 9 to handle panel 13 along medial fold line 16. Handle panel 14 is foldably joined to riser panel 10 along fold line 11 and to handle panel 15 along medial fold line 17. Conventional hand gripping apertures 18, 19, and 21 are formed in handle panels 12-15 respectively. As shown in the drawings, aperture 19 defines a flap which is foldably joined along the fold line 22 to the handle panel 13.

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Partition structure on the side of the carrier adjacent side wall 1 is defined by the high center cell 1A and includes a partition strip 23 which is foldably joined along fold line 24 to an edge of portion 1A and along fold line 25 to the handle panel 12. Likewise partition strip 26 is foldably joined along fold line 27 to the high center cell portion 1A and along fold line 28 to the handle panel 14.

On the other side of the carrier, a riser panel 30 is foldably joined to handle panel 13 along a fold line 31 and a similar riser panel 32 is foldably joined to handle panel 15 along fold line 33. End panel 34 is foldably joined to riser panel 30 along fold line 31 While end panel 35 is foldably joined to riser panel 32 along fold line 33. Side wall 36 is foldably joined to end panel 34 along fold line 37 and to end panel 35 along fold line 38. Partition strip 39 is foldably joined to handle panel 13 along fold line 40 and to high center cell portion 36A along fold line 41. Likewise partition strip 42 is foldably joined to handle panel 15 along fold line 43 and to the high center cell section 36A along fold line 44.

Notches 45, 46, 47 and 48 are formed in the riser panels 8, 10, 30 and 32 and cooperate with notches formed medially at the ends of the bottom panel in known manner.

The parts of the carrier described hereinabove are conventional.

In accordance with this invention, the bottom panel Which is foldably joined to the bottom edge 49 of side wall 36 is a composite panel comprising a main panel 50 and a complementary panel 51 which is foldably joined to main panel 50 along the side edge 52 thereof. A medial fold line 53 is formed in complementary panel 51 and a medial fold line 54 is formed in main panel 50. Locking notches 55 and 56 are formed in panels 51 and 50 respectively.

As is clearly shown in FIG. 6 main bottom panel 50 of the blank shown in dotted lines is nested Within the cutaway corner portion of the main panel 50 of the carton shown in solid lines and by the invention it is possible to nest one blank in aligned reversed end-to-end relation with an adjacent blank and by this means substantially to eliminate waste.

In order to form a composite bottom from the main panel 50 and the complementary panel 51, an application of glue is made to main panel 50 as indicated by stippling in FIG. 2 and thereafter the complementary panel 51 is folded upwardly and toward the right along the fold line 52 to occupy the position depicted, for example, in FIG. 3.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the angle between fold line 52 and fold line 49 is slightly greater than Thus when panel 51 is folded into the position shown in FIG. 3, the right hand end of medial fold line 53 as shown for example in FIG. 3 is slightly below the left hand end of the medial fold line 54. Since complementary panel 51 is disposed on the inside of main panel 50 and since panels 50 and 51 subsequently are folded along the medial fold lines 53, 54 by lifting and folding forwardly the lower portions of the composite bottom panel, the complementary panel 51 is positively captured in the region adjacent the left hand end of fold line- 54.

According to another facet of the invention, a small cutaway notch 57 is formed at the end of medial fold line 53 which cutaway area is disposed immediately adjacent the left hand end of fold line 54 in main panel 50. The cutaway area 57 is for the purpose of eliminating bulky and cumbersome material at the junction between the adjacent edges of the main panel 50 and complementary panel 51 and thereby to facilitate the medial folding of the composite panel.

According to another facet of the invention, the left hand of main panel 54 is stepped as indicated at 58 so that the adjacent edge 59 of complementary panel 51 is spaced slightly without any overlap from the edge 58 of main panel 50. Thus when the carton is completely formed with the lower edge of the composite panel 50, 51 secured in face contacting relation to the glue flap 2, as shown in FIG. 5, the adjacent edges 58 and 59 will lie in the same plane and by this means a secure junction between glue flap 2 and panels 50 and 51 is obtained.

The carrier blank depicted in FIG. 2 is first treated with an application of glue as indicated by stippled areas. Thereafter the end panels 4 and 34 are swung upwardly and toward the right along the fold lines 5 and 37 to cause the handle panels 12 and 13 to fall into fiat face contacting relation with the inner surfaces of the handle panels 14 and 15 as shown in FIG. 3. Simultaneously the inner ends of riser panels 8 and 30 become adhered to the inner surfaces of handle panels 12 and 13. The complementary panel 51 as already explained is folded upwardly and toward the right along fold line 52 and occupies the position depicted in FIG. 3.

It will be understood that the folding of end panels 4 and 34 and associated structure may precede or follow or be simultaneous with the folding of complementary panel 51 to the position depicted in FIG. 3. If the folding is simultaneous, it may be desirable temporarily to interconnect the bottom edge of end panel 34 with the adjacent side edge of complementary panel 51 by suitable nicks in well known manner.

After the parts are folded to the positions depicted in FIG. 3, an application of glue is made to the riser panels and 32 and if desired to the inner surfaces of the handle panels 14 and as indicated by stippling in FIG. 3. Thereafter, the riser panels 10 and 32 are folded upwardly and toward the left along the fold lines 11 and 33 respectively to occupy the positions depicted in FIG. 4. Simultaneously the composite bottom panel is folded along the medial fold lines 53 and 54 to occupy the position depicted in FIG. 4.

Thereafter an application of glue is made to the blank as depicted by setippling in FIG. 4. Following the application of glue as indicated in FIG. 4, the side wall 1 and all the panels associated therewith above the medial fold lines 16 and 17 are lifted and swung forwardly to occupy the positions of the blank depicted in collapsed form in FIG. 5.

In order to set up the carried depicted in FIG. 5 into the condition depicted in FIG. 1, it is simply necessary to exert a force toward the left along the right hand edge of end panel 6 while exerting a force toward the left along the end edge of side wall 1. When the notches 55 and 56 engage the notches 45, 47 and 46, 48 the carrier is retained in its set-up condition.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows.

I claim:

1. An article carrier having a medial partition and handle structure, a pair of end wall panels joined to each end edge of said medial partition and handle structure and constituting opposite end walls of the carrier, opposed side walls foldably joined along their end edges to the end edges of said end walls, and a bottom wall structure foldably joined along its side edges to the bottom edges of said side walls respectively and wherein the improvement resides in the fact that said bottom wall is a composite structure comprising a main panel foldably joined along one side edge thereof to the bottom edge of one of said side walls, said main panel having a cutaway corner portion, and a complementary panel foldably joined to the end edge of said main panel adjacent said cutaway portion of said main panel, said complementary panel being folded into fiat face contacting relation with portions of said main panel, and means for foldably joining the side edges of said main and complementary panels which are opposite from said one side wall to the bottom edge of the other of said side walls.

2. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein the fold line between said main and said complementary panels is disposed with respect to the fold line between said main panel and said one side wall at an angle slightly in excess of ninety degrees.

3. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein said main and said complementary panels are provided with substantially aligned medial fold lines and wherein the edge of said complementary panel which is remote from the fold line between said mam and said complementary panels is cut away adjacent the medial fold line in said complementary panel.

4. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein the transverse edge of said main panel defined by the cutaway corner thereof is of stepped configuration whereby portions of the adjacent edges of said main and of said complementary panels are disposed in substantially the same plane so as to facilitate securement of the edges of said main and of said complementary panels to a glue flap foldably joined to the bottom edge of the other of said side walls.

5. In an article carrier blank comprising a first side wall, a glue flap foldably joined to a bottom edge of said first side wall, end panels foldably joined to the end edges of said first side wall respectively, riser panels foldably joined to edges of said end panels respectively which are remote from the edges of said end panels which are adjoined to said one side wall, a first handle panel foldably joined to one of said riser panels along a fold line which coincides with the fold line between said one riser panel and its associated end panel, a second handle panel foldably joined to said first handle panel along a medial fold line, a third riser panel foldably joined to said second handle panel along a fold line which is aligned with the fold line between said first handle panel and its associated riser panel, a third end wall panel foldably joined to said second riser panel along a fold line which coincides with the fold line between said third riser panel and said second handle panel, a second side wall foldably joined to said third end panel along a fold line remote from the fold line between said third riser panel and said third end panel, the improvement including a main panel foldably joined to the bottom edge of said second side wall and having a cutaway corner portion remote from the fold line between said second side wall and said main bottom panel, and a complementary bottom panel foldably joined to an end edge of said main bottom panel adjacent said cutaway corner portion thereof.

6. A carrier blank according to claim 5 wherein said cutaway corner portion of said main bottom panel is configured and arranged to receive a part of the main bottom panel of a reversed adjacent blank whereby two blanks are disposed in aligned nested relation to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,974,827 3/ 196-1 Levkoff 2201 13 3,084,831 4/1963 Arneson 220-113 3,283,948 11/1966 Forrer 220-113 3,306,485 2/1967 Wood 2201 13 DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner. 

